Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Hank Moree.. (37) leads double B class winner Tim Hodes (58). Anthony Paggio (7). and J .J. Slagle at the start of a 125cc B class mota. Steve Decker (6) used the whole track trying to keep Dean Baker (19) behind him. but Baker eventually got by to take the 500cc B win. LaRocco, until I screwed up in a turn. From then on it was his ." . Mann exp lai ned, " I tried to test my new condi tio ni ng p rogram by riding two Pro clas ses today. It was too much." Californian Mik e Pascarella beat up on th e 250cc Pro class for seven laps in the first moto. The Su zukimounted rider blitzed the track ahead of Mann, Keith Bowen, Carl Vail laincourt, Gene Naumec and Hannah while LaRocco played catch up. LaRocco form ed up with Pascarella and Mann for some fun before making a fin al pass stick for the win. LaRocco said, " Ca n you believ e that I stalled the bik e o n the gate?" Hannah roll ed into fifth place and then, on a dramatic final lap, th e " H urrica ne" charged by Mann a nd Pascarella , taking th ird behind Bowen. Hannah said sm iling; " I finall y got pissed off a nd passed those gu ys. Mike McAndrews, of Factory Suspension, is helping me in th e series," H annah contin ued. " He 's th e best suspension guy around. " In moto two Bowen whipped his Suzuki into a-quick lead ahea d of Pascarella, Mark Costa, J ohn Dawd and J ason Buttl e. LaRocco and Hannah were moving th rough tra ffic with a purpose. Pascarella picked of£. Bowen on ly to lose the lead on lap four, then LaRocca and Hannah bumped Pascarella and closed on Bowen. LaRocco took on Bowen firs t and the pair battled side by side with neither yielding. The issue was resolved as Bowen tried to dive inside, hit LaRocco's rear wheel and high-sided. LaRocco sai d, " I squared the tum and Bowen tried to T-bone me. I knew he was coming and was braced for it." Bowen responded, " I thought that I had him. Mike rode real good today." . The crowd was in a near frenzy as Hannah moved in. behind LaRocco, soared beside him on a tabletop jump a n d challenged handlebar-to-handlebar. The di ce ended on the high banked " wall" as Hannah backed off and settled for second. Hannah said later, " LaRocco tried to run me off. I don't do this for a living anymore. I ride for fun. I don 't need that. Maybe he was still mad at Bowen." LaRocco said, " Bob pus hed me hard for two laps. I had fun ra cing wi th him . I was trying to save some energy for th e last lap." Opening 500cc Pro class actio n featured New England 's J o J o Keller on a Honda. Ben T heriot, Keith Johnson and Mark Micell i rode escort while J eff Fri sz and Fred Andrews knifed _th rough th e pac k. Frisz gain ed m omentu m a n d to p ped Keller with an insid e pass at the seven-minute mark. Fri sz elabora ted, " I had th e holesho t, hit a hump and sp un arou nd, falling to about fifth pl ace." Andrews responded, "Yeah, he also took me out with him and I . ended up starting fro m last pl ace. I wanted to catch hi m, but needed better lines." Keller, wh o ended up eigh th , sai d, " I brought a bug down here with me and ca n 't shake it.".: . In rnoto tw o Frisz b u m ped And rews·from the point on ly to wipe o ut back to fifth behind Andrews, Keller, Micelli and.T ommy Martin . Honda-backed Andrews looked to be a shoo-in u ntil he ate it on the flag straight on lap five. Andrews said, " I felt good, but th e bike swapped ru ts at hi gh speed and I dumped it. " Kell er' s Billy L add -wrenched H onda led for four laps until Frisz made up the deficit and nailed th e win. . Frisz said later, "This is th e sam e Kawasaki' that Woody Kyle Racing set. up for the '88 Nationals. David Salley is wrenching for me th is year.'.' Jay Mann and Tim Hodes earn ed double wins at Tallahassee. Mann topped th e 125cc A and 250cc A classes for the second stra ight week and Hodes dominated 125cc B and 250cc B class competition. Hodes who is £lying back to Texas each week to com p lete his senior year in high school said, " H an k Moree came back strong in the 125cc class and Todd Garner was up front in th e 250cc motos.': In l25cc A competition Mike Brown, aboard th e T eam Gr een / Barr/Gear Kawasaki, knocked Ga ry Paul from the win in moto one. Mann finished second. Mann explained, " I was ' too far back at the start and miss ed Mike by a wheel at the flag . Mann rebounded for the second Pee Wee class winner Don Leedy (33) chases Jamie Castleman (0) while Mason Williams (9). who was second overall. follows in third. mo to win to bump Brown for th e day 's overa ll. Bro wn expla ined Mann 's repeat in . the 250cc A motos: "I got good starts, but J ay is solid in the turns and I'm too sloppy. " Da vid Becki n gton m ixed it up well for th ird overall in both classes. " I almos t ble w a great lead in the first moto by dumpi ng it in the spec ta tor corner," sai d 500cc A repeat winner Earl May. Through two races the VPElBoyesen Engi neering tea m of Mann and May have ruled th e A classes. Dean Baker, R ick Perry, Steve Decker and Keith Yarnell went at it in -th e 500cc B mo tos. An swer/ Honda-suppo rted Baker , ' said, " Decker was running all th e way to the outer edges of th e track in the firs t moto. H e was hard to pass. " Revenge was sweet in the mini div ision. Pee Wee clas s winner Don Leed y return ed th e favor by edging Mason Will iam s and Ri cky Carmich el took over 65cc honors. Ezra Lusk bumped Tim m y Ferry from th e to p of 85cc (12-13) action and Brian List displaced 85cc (14-15) leader Wally Sil va. The l25cc You th class cornpeititon in volved an upset by Missouri's Allen Ro ss over South Carolina's Hank Moree. A new, lean Ernie Millan' dealt with Al Gardner to win th e Super Senior class. Millan said, " Former racer Greg Gordon 's dad died in Georgia this weekend. H e was a super guy and always helped young riders. I won this for him." Gu y Bu ckl ey, m an ager o f th e South African Honda Deale r T eam consisting of Byron Segal, Ramsey Buckley and Carl Van Ren sburg, sai d, " This trac k is magnificen t. We ha d to break dow n our bikes and pack th em in suitcases to get here, bu t it was wo rth it to race at a faci lity li ke this." • Results 125 PRO: 1, M ike laRocco (Vam); 2, John Kitsch (Suz); 3. Bobby Jay Mann (Kaw); 4 , Jason Langford (Yam); 5. Sean Dukes (Hon); 6, Steve Childress (Suz); 7. Brian Elroy (Cag); B. Todd Neal (Kaw); 9, Chris Coleman (Kaw). 10 . Je ff Beck ington (Hon). 250 PRO: 1, M ike laRocco (y am); 2. Keith Bowen (Suz); 3, Bob Hannah (Suz); 4 . Mi ke Pascarella (Suz); 5, Andy Stacy (Suzl; 6, John Dawd (Suz); 7. Jason Buttle (Kaw ); B. J im Kapitan (Suz); 9, John Shay (Suz); 10, Carl Vaillancourt (Hon), 500 PRO: 1. Jeff Frisz (Kaw~ 2, Fred Andrews (Hon); 3, Jo Jo Keller (Hon); 4, Mark Mi celli (Kawl; 5, Tommy Martin (Hon); 6. Earl May (Hon); 7, John Collins (Hon); 8. J im Kapitan (Hon); 9. Dag Boye..n (Kaw ); 10, Ben Theriot (Hon). 125 A: 1, Jay Mann (Kaw); 2, Mike Brown (Kaw); 3. David Beckington (Hon); 4. Wes Keenum (Vam); 5. Sean Dukes (Hon). 250 A:. 1. Jay Mann (Kaw): 2. M ike Brown (Kaw); 3, David Beckington (Hon); 4 , Gary Paul (Kaw ); 5. Earl May (Hon). . 500 A: 1. Earl May (Yam); 2. Bill Wallin (Hon); 3. Rick Undell (Vam); 4. Jerry Seep (Hon); 5, Joe Rogers (Hon). P/W: 1. Donald Leddy (Yaml; 2. Mason Wi lliams (Yam ~ 3. Josh Scott (Yam). , 65 : 1. Ricky Carmichael (Kaw); 2, Jarrett TIpping (Kaw~ 3. Keith McQuaig (Hon). B5 (9·13): 1. Ezra Lusk (Kaw); 2. Kevin Windham (Kaw~ 3. Ryen Reynolds (Hon). . 85 (14·15): 1. Bryan Us t (Hon); 2. Zye Breun (Kaw~ 3, Wally Silva (Yam). 125 YTH: 1. Allen Ross (Hon); 2. Hank Moree (Kaw); 3, Aa ron Vates (Hon). SR 0 -1: 1. Robby Neeley (kaw); 2, David Bowman (Hon); 3. Roger Keene (Hon). SR 0 ·2 : 1, Mark Ashworth (Yam); 2. Frank DePalo (Yam); 3. Oa.. Wagner (Yam). 25+: 1. Rick Wndell (Yam); 2. RossJohnson (Hon); 3. Robby Neeley (Kaw ), S/SR: 1. Ernie Millan (Hon~ 2. Kenneth Brown (Yam); 3. Randy TIllery (Hon). 125 B: 1, TIm Hodes (Hon~ 2. Hank Moree (Kawl; 3, A. Paggio (Kaw). 250 B: 1. TIm Hodes (Hon); 2. Ross Johnson (Hon); 3. Todd Gardner (Hon), OPEN NOV: 1. Dean Baker (Hon); 2. Rick Perry (Yam); 3. Steve Decker (Hon). 125 0 -1 : 1. Brock Bullard (Hon); 2, Zac Freeman (Hon); 3. Vinny Cargiullo (Kaw ). 125 0 -2: 1. Bret Beauchamp (Kaw); 2. Aaron Vates (Hon~ 3, Jody North (Hon). 250 C 0 -1: 1. Chad Bolding ; 2. Todd Doran (Kaw); 3, Scott Tavlor (Hon). 250 C 0 -2 : 1. -.,ston McCulian (Yam); 2. W illiam Sexton (HonT;3. S. Richburg (Hon).

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